"The Secret Floor"

Children's Movies During Fall Break

Germany, Austria, Luxembourg 2025 Director: Norbert Lechner
Screenplay: Antonia Rothe-Liermann, Katrin Milhahn
Runtime: 96 minutes, Age Rating: 6+, Recommended for ages 10 and up Cast: Silas John, Annika Benzin, Maximilian Reinwald, Konstantin, Tobias Resch, Max Simonischek, and others. Karlis’s parents have taken over a former grand hotel in the Austrian Alps to renovate and run it. The 12-year-old is not thrilled about having to leave his familiar surroundings and spend his summer vacation here. Grumbling, he explores the construction site. During a test ride in a dilapidated freight elevator, he promptly gets stuck, and only a blow against the elevator wall gets it moving again. However, Karli has arrived on a previously unknown floor of the hotel. Here, the old splendor still remains, and the place is bustling with activity. A glance at a daily newspaper lying around astonishes him even more: Karli has ended up in the year 1938. “The boy in a hoodie, sneakers, and with a cell phone in his pants pocket” (Verena Schmöller, Children’s and Youth Film Portal) meets the shoeshine boy Georg and the Jewish girl Hannah and befriends them. Together they solve a criminal case, and in the process Karli learns a great deal about life under National Socialism—three months after Austria’s annexation by Germany and five months before the November pogroms. “The Secret Floor” was nominated for the 2026 German Film Award and won several other awards. Tickets for 3 euros, as well as popcorn, drinks, etc., will be available starting at 2:00 p.m. at Café Wahrheit.